MIA Presents Pinnacle Awards For Outstanding Stone Use

The Marble Institute of America, Inc. (MIA) announced the winners of its prestigious 2004 Pinnacle Awards competition, which recognizes excellence in commercial and residential natural stone projects worldwide.

Ten projects were singled out from nearly 50 entries for demonstrating superior beauty, creativity, ingenuity and craftsmanship by MIA-member stone suppliers, fabricators and installers. The winning projects range from a magnificent residential fireplace to a world-class cathedral complex.

Awards of Excellence and Awards of Merit were given in four categories: Residential Interior/Exterior, Commercial Interior, Commercial Exterior and Restoration. New this year was a â€œSpecial Award of Merit for Use of Stone,â€ for stonework installed aboard a luxury yacht.

â€œThe outstanding quality of the natural stone projects that are submitted for the Pinnacle Awards year after year is always an inspiration,â€ said MIA President Paul Vigna, President of the Stone Division at Artisan Tile & Marble Co. of NJ, Inc. in Somerset, NJ.

â€œAs each of these projects demonstrates, the beauty, longevity and value that natural stone adds is unsurpassed, whether for large or small applications, residential or commercial, typical or extraordinary,â€ Vigna continued. â€œOnce again, we are reminded why natural stone remains the premier building material of choice for architects, designers and their clients worldwide.â€

MIA presented the Pinnacle Awards to winners in October at its Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, CA. The meeting is held in conjunction with StonExpo.

Project Description: The grand fireplace in this home measures over 7 feet tall and 9 feet wide. The Denver Marble Co. used 2-cm Gascogne Beige slabs with several 3-cm-thick strips for the molding across the mantle. The â€œrams headâ€-style corbels on top of the fireplace legs incorporate 17 laminates stacked side-by-side. To give the appearance that the fireplace was built with heavy cubic stock stone, all components were mitered and/or laminated.

Project Description: Opulent features of the 500-square-foot master bath in this Old World chateaux-style estate include a 20-foot marble vanity counter, a white onyx tub deck with two solid 8-inch diameter white onyx columns, a book-matched marble steam shower and white onyx flooring with a sunburst panel spanning 6 feet in the center of the room. Marble flooring was used for an adjoining closet, which boasts an onyx center island for wardrobe layout. Radtke Tile and Marble imported the onyx from Jordan, and the columns were hand-turned in Italy.
Other Project Team Members:
Architect/General Contractor: Chuck Bluth
Stone Supplier/Fabrication Coordinator (Italy): Marble Unlimited, Inc.

Project Description: Natural stonework was incorporated into many areas of this spectacular cathedral, including the altar, baptistery, paving/steps and crypt mausoleum. Numerous challenges included sourcing for unique stone; size, weight and placement issues; maintaining circular floor patterns; and the meticulous attention to detail required to match panels in the crypt. Louie Carnevale and Raffaele Giovetti traveled to Turkey to locate the Rosso Laguna stone for the altar, which is made of an 11,000-pound piece (the mensa), atop a 4,000-pound piece (the pedestal).

Project Description: The extreme linear design and construction of this home required precision installation techniques of the selected flooring material, Claire limestone. A perfectly plumb line - centered upon descending windows at a hall's end - facilitated the flow between flooring and the hard lines of the home. The limestone was also used for the living room steps, risers and pony walls and in the master bath. The European-style shower area was created with towel niches, freestanding bench seats and a properly sloped drainage area.

Project Description: Rojo Alicante and Botticino marble, Jura Beige limestone and Absolute Black and Ubatuba granite are all incorporated into approximately 15,000 square feet of flooring, a grand stairway and wainscot walls in the Aurora Municipal Center. Highlights include two starbursts in the lobby, the larger measuring 30 feet across and featuring five different stones. Additional features include thermal-finished Ubatuba nosing at the stairway and stainless steel framed marble wall panels in the elevator cabs.

Project Description: The marble deck on the distinctive Marble Arch Bridge had developed a patchwork look due to many years of wear and spot replacement. Town officials wanted a crisp, clean look to match the original bridge. Highland Danby was chosen as the closest match. Full-sized templates were taken from existing stones and used in the fabrication process to ensure an exact match. A total of 528 pieces were produced, totaling 1,457 square feet of marble.

Project Description: Roppongi Hills is the largest privately developed project in Japan to date, featuring a mix of commercial and residential buildings as well as open spaces and parks on 28 acres. The dolomitic limestone embracing various areas was quarried in Kasota, MN. Large undulating natural strata stone panels in rusts, browns, golds and creams were used at the base of the structure, with progressively smaller panels in golds and grays adorning the structure's upper levels.

Judges' Comments: â€œWorth going to see personallyâ€... â€œElaborate use of the full range of the stone and its finishesâ€... â€œMass has never been defined in such detailâ€... â€œEach stone retains its individual character.â€

Project Description: When two extension buildings were added to Utah's Capitol Hill, the natural stone cladding had to match the stone on the existing building (circa 1915). Gris Alcazars granite was selected, with Campolonghi Italia SRL instructing its staff to leave in black inclusions that made the material more closely match the existing stone.

Other challenges were to match the finishes of the original structure and incorporate intricate and historically consistent stone detailing using modern construction technology in creating pilasters, columns and balustrades. Each circular column contains 30 pieces of handset stone.

Project Description: Limestone carvings on the landmark Barclay-Vesey Building in Manhattan that were destroyed during the September 11 attacks have been restored to their original splendor. Although much of the exterior is brick, the feature elements of the facade are limestone, including large cubic pieces and ornately carved panels. The project required 5,000 cubic feet of Indiana limestone with 2,000 square feet of carved surface area and an additional 500 cubic feet of Stony Creek granite for the base of the building.

Project Description: The goal for this project was to furnish and install natural stone to standards that would far surpass the extremely stringent quality criteria mandated in a luxury yacht. Stone Interiors delivered by fabricating and installing 2,500 square feet of elaborate designs for the master bath, backlit bar and main deck areas in Breccia Oniciata marble, Lapis Blue and Honey Onyx, all polished finish. The many challenges included maneuvering fabricated end products up and down a central 72-inch diameter circular stairway.

In the December 2016 issue, we look at some highlights of the Marmo+Mac 2016, and the new renovations of the Freemasons' Hall in London, England. We also present some new products, technology updates, machine of the month, and stone of the month.

For this issue, we are excited to share with you four features that focus on using compact and ultrathin slabs in both residential and commercial projects. As these products continue to gain popularity, we wanted to share different ideas of applications, including an upscale dining environment in the interior of a Saks Fifth Avenue.